Notes on TranslationThe electronic translation service on the Toronto Catholic District School Board's website is hosted by Google Translate. The quality of the translation will vary in some of the languages offered by Google. Google Translate is a free service and currently offers translation in over 50 languages, although an impressive number, this does not capture all languages or dialects. The basic translation’s goal is to capture the general intention of the original English material.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board does not guarantee the quality, accuracy or completeness of any translated information. Before you act on translated information, the Board encourages you to confirm any facts that are important to you and affect any decisions you may make.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is committed to parent, family and community engagement, and it is our hope that by providing this tool on our website that we are making our information more accessible to families whose first language is not English and thereby enabling better engagement in public education.

Please provide your question and email address in the fields below. Note, all fields are required.

Forgot Password? Please contact your school principal to have your password reset. Principal email addresses are located on the homepage of school websites.
If you are in eClass, please contact eregister@tcdsb.org.

Toronto Catholic District School Board

TCDSB Policy Register

Placement of Pupils - S.A.02

1.The Toronto Catholic District School Board shall place pupils who meet all requirements for admission, in a school and program operated by the Board, and placement shall be based upon a balance of:

(a)the needs of the pupil;

(b)the wishes of the pupil who is an adult, or the parent or guardian of pupils who are not adults;

(c)the needs of the other pupils; and

(d)the availability of space in the requested school and program.

TRANSPORTATION NOT PROVIDED

2.The placement of a pupil under this policy in a particular program or school does not constitute a commitment of the Board to provide transportation; entitlement thereto is governed by the Transportation Policy in force from time to time.

REGULATIONS

1.Director to Determine Appropriate Placement

(a)Subject to requirements of the appropriate legislation, and of the Policy and the Regulations, the Director of Education shall determine the appropriate placement of pupils in accordance with his/her judgment as to what will be in the best interest of all of the pupils in the system.

(b)For the purpose of the administration of the placement process, the Director of Education shall develop guidelines and schedules by which applications for placement are to be considered.

(c)The Director of Education will establish the maximum loading for each school from time to time including the grade 9 maximum intake based on the on-the-ground capacity, plus portable capacity, plus an additional allocation for program flexibility for each secondary school. Any exceptions to these capacity figures will need to be approved by the Board of Trustees.

2.General Requirements Regarding Placement

(a)The expression “home school” as used in these Regulations:

i) means that school which the pupil actually attends, in the case of:

1) a secondary school pupil;

2) a pupil attending St. Michael’s Choir School;

3) a pupil attending the School of the Arts;

4) a pupil attending a Ukrainian Rite Catholic School;

5) a pupil attending an adult learning centre;

(ii) and otherwise means:

1) in the case of a person who resides within the attendance boundaries of a school for which the Board has established such boundaries, that school which is located within such boundaries;

2) in the case of a person who resides within Metropolitan Toronto but outside the attendance boundaries of a school for which the Board has established such boundaries, that school:

a) which is nearest by use of public thoroughfares to the place at which the pupil resides; or

b) to which the school bus (if there is one for which the pupil is eligible under the appropriate policy) carries the pupil;

3) in the case of a person who does not reside within Metropolitan Toronto but is qualified under the Admission Policy by reason of separate school assessment in Metropolitan Toronto, that school which is nearest by use of public thoroughfares to the place that is assessed for separate school purposes by which the pupil qualifies for admission; and

4) in the case of a person who does not reside within Metropolitan Toronto and is not qualified under the Admission Policy by reason of separate school assessment in Metropolitan Toronto, that school which is determined by the Director of Education to be the home school.

(b) The expression “geographic proximity” takes into account:

i)the actual direct distance involved;

ii)the availability, and efficacy in the circumstances, of public transportation; and

iii)natural and constructed barriers.

(c) Whenever a pupil has been identified as needing:

i)placement in a special education program;

ii) a special education service;

iii) placement in an English as a Second Language program;

iv) placement in an English as a Second Dialect program; or

v) placement in any other specialized program offered by the Board; and the program or service is not provided in the home school, the pupil shall be placed in the nearest school to the home of the pupil that, as determined by the Director of Education, has space available.

(d) To the extent possible (recognizing that not all programs and services can be offered in all schools) and subject to the other Regulations, a pupil shall be placed in the school of choice of the pupil who is an adult, or the parent or guardian of the pupil who is not an adult, as the case may be.

(e) In the case of voluntary or elective programs that are not offered in all of the schools (including but not limited to Early French Immersion, Middle Immersion [FSL], Heritage Language, St. Michael’s Choir School, Ukrainian Language Schools, School for the Arts):

i) the placement of a pupil in any such program shall be dependent in all cases upon:

1) compliance with any specific criteria otherwise established for the program;

2) the total capacity of the building in which the program is offered;

3) the number of portables (if any) on the site; and

4) the total capacity of the particular program, in the light of the limitations (if any) upon class size as a result of formulae contained in applicable collective agreements; and

ii) where there are more pupils seeking placement than there are places available:

1) waiting lists shall be maintained;

2) first priority of placement shall be given to the pupils in respect of whom the school is the home school; and

3) subject to Regulation 2(e)(ii)(2), placement shall be based upon the date of receipt of applications for space in the respective programs.

3. Placement in an Elementary School

(a) Subject to the requirements of Regulation 2(d) and the program needs of the pupil:

i)where the Board has established attendance boundaries for an elementary school, a pupil shall not be placed in such school unless the pupil resides within the boundaries of such school; and

ii)where the Board has not established attendance boundaries for an elementary school, a pupil shall be placed in the home school unless the parent or guardian, if the pupil is not an adult, or the pupil if an adult, makes application for placement in another elementary school.

iii)Elementary school attendance boundaries are dealt with on a school-by-school basis and only on approval by the Board of Trustees. Any changes to current attendance boundaries will need to be approved by the Board of Trustees. A joint report would be submitted to Administrative and Corporate Services Committee from the Planning & Facilities Department and the area superintendent.

4. Placement in a Secondary School:

The Usual Placement Process

(a) An elementary student who is eligible for admission to a secondary school operated by the TCDSB may make an application for placement in the secondary school and program chosen by the student, and, subject to program and space limitations, shall be so placed.

(b) Whenever due to program or space limitations, it is not initially possible to place all eligible elementary students in the secondary school of their respective choices, the Director of Education shall offer a program-appropriate secondary school placement to students based upon the following:

i)the availability of a suitable program consistent with their choices;

ii) siblings attending and returning in September to the secondary school of choice;

iii) the geographic proximity of the secondary school of choice to the school in which the student is currently enrolled.

(c) The placement of students on a non-credit bearing track will be centrally coordinated through the Special Services Department.

(d) Subject to Reg. 4(b), any elementary student who cannot be accommodated in the secondary school of choice will be offered placement in that secondary school and appropriate program which is closest to the elementary school in which the student is enrolled at the time of application and which has the available space.

i) grade 8 students placed in a TCDSB secondary school for grade 9 are permitted to submit a change form approved by the current school’s principal, and placed in Priority 1 for the following reasons only:

1) there is a level change in a compulsory course for the student and that level is not offered by the original school of choice;

2) the student’s new residence places the student in another attendance area at least 5 km from the original school placement, and/or the new residence is in closer proximity to another TCDSB secondary school;

ii) students submitting change forms for other reasons shall be placed in Priority 3.

(e) An elementary student who is redirected from their first choice of a TCDSB secondary school to another TCDSB secondary school will have three (3) choices:

i)accept the new placement;

ii)reject the new placement and be placed on the priority 1 waiting list of their first choice;

iii) accept the redirection and also be placed on the priority 2 waiting list of their first choice until the end of May.

(f) Whenever, due to program or space limitations it is not possible initially to place all secondary school pupils in the secondary schools of their respective choices or the appropriate alternate places that are acceptable to them, the Director of Education shall add the names of the pupils who have not been so placed to the waiting lists for the respective secondary school and program (both grade and level), ranked according to the five priorities described in this Regulation, and shall thereafter, as space becomes available, place the pupils according to their respective positions on the Priority lists.

TCDSB secondary school waiting list priorities are as follows:

i) Priority 1 waiting list students shall include:

·TCDSB grade 8 pupils who have been offered a grade 9 placement in a secondary school other than the secondary school of choice and have rejected that placement;

·TCDSB grade 8 pupils who have a new residence 5 km from the original school placement or much closer to another TCDSB secondary school;

·TCDSB grade 8 pupils whose applications have been received after the initial deadline date for placement;

·non-metro TCDSB grade 8 pupils who have been in the TCDSB for the past three consecutive years;

·all other applicants from grade 9 to grade 12 who are entitled by law to attend a TCDSB secondary school

ii) Priority 2 waiting list students shall include:

·redirected grade 9 applicants who have accepted the alternative placement but wish to remain on the waiting list of first choice until the end of May.

iii) Priority 3 waiting list students shall include:

·grade 9 applicants who have been accepted to, and wish to retain, their original choice of a TCDSB secondary school but who have subsequently requested that their placement be changed. These students will remain on the waiting list until the end of May.

iv) Priority 4 waiting list students shall include:

·TCDSB grade 8 students who reside outside the city of Toronto with less than three (3) consecutive years in the TCDSB.

·Catholic students residing outside the city of Toronto and attending a school in their home board.

v) Priority 5 waiting list students shall include:

·Catholic foreign students who meet the admission requirements.

vi) Priority 6 waiting list students shall include:

·non-Catholic students residing outside the city of Toronto and attending a school in their home board.

vii) priority 7 waiting list students shall include:

·non-Catholic foreign students who meet the admission requirements.

g) All students on a Priority 1 waiting list will be offered a placement if program and space limitations so permit. Thereafter, the remaining students on other waiting lists will be offered a placement, again, if program and space limitations so permit.

h) TCDSB grade 10 to grade 12 TCDSB students who wish a transfer from their present secondary school to another TCDSB secondary school do so with the assistance of the school principal/designate who will then make contact with the principal/designate of the requested school.

5. Placement in a Secondary School other than the Usual Placement Process.

(a) Placement in a secondary school or program operated by the Board shall be dependent upon whether there is space available in the secondary school and program selected by the pupil, in the case of both:

i) an elementary pupil who applies for placement after the placement process for elementary pupils concludes on the first day of the school year (or such later date as the Director of Education may determine); and

ii) a pupil who applies for placement in a grade other than grade 9.

(b) Where, after the beginning of the school year (or such later date as the Director of Education may determine), pupils who have a right to attend apply for placement in secondary schools operated by the Board, and there are insufficient pupil places readily available in the schools or the programs in which the pupils seek placement:

i) the Director of Education shall give priority to those pupils who are without a publicly funded pupil place (in either the public school system or the separate school system) excluding those pupils who have chosen to give up a publicly funded pupil place; and

ii) the Director of Education shall attempt to place the pupil as soon as possible in the secondary school of choice of the pupil or the secondary school nearest to such school.

6. Placement in St. Michael’s Choir School

(a) As a condition of placement in St. Michael’s Choir School, a pupil shall pass the appropriate aptitude tests to the satisfaction of the Director of Education.

(b) Each pupil admitted to St. Michael’s Choir School shall take extra lessons in music, the cost of which shall be borne by the pupil or the parent or guardian of the pupil.

(c) Non-metro resident students, who are eligible under policy S.A.01, Admission of Pupils, may be admitted under the following circumstances:

i) that students meet all necessary criteria for the school as outlined in a) and b) herein; and

ii) that all qualifying Metro students applying in any year are accepted first.

8. Placement of an Adult in a Special Program at Monsignor Fraser College

(a) Placement in the program at Monsignor Fraser College will be limited by the availability of resources and program space. The placement will be made by a Committee as described herein. The normal placement will not exceed three years. Applicants not placed at Monsignor Fraser College will be given counselling as to alternative placement elsewhere.

(b) The Placement Committee will consist of the Principal, Head Teacher, Guidance Counsellor or Teacher of Special Needs, Community Support Worker and other TCDSB staff as may be required. The Committee will meet at least twice a year or as necessary for intake purposes and may wish to invite the parents and student.

(c)The following are criteria that will be considered when placing a student at Monsignor Fraser College:

i) adult applicant is 21 years of age, or older;

ii) prospective student is identified as developmentally handicapped;

iii) applicant has had a previous secondary school placement;

iv) preference will be given to the prospective student who is on a waiting list for adult day services;

v) preference may be given to adult applicants who have had experience with independent or supported employment;

vi) the adult's social-work connection (Social Worker, Adult Protective Worker, etc.) agrees to remain involved with Monsignor Fraser College throughout the student's career at the school. This involvement may include advice/input re: educational, settlement and community issues;

vii) applicant is an adult whose needs may be met by an educational plan as determined by the Placement Committee.